Sharpton Pledges To Lead Arizona Protest Against Immigration Law
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
The Reverend Al Sharpton and other city activists say they will mobilize people from across the country to march in Arizona to protest that state's new immigration law.
The law, signed by Governor Jan Brewer and set to take effect this summer, authorizes police to question people about their immigration status if they suspect the person might be in the country illegally.
The law faces a number of legal challenges, as President Barack Obama has ordered the U.S. Justice Department to review it.
Speaking yesterday in Downtown Manhattan, Sharpton said he was prepared to be arrested during the protest and compared the law to the legal segregation of the Jim Crow era.
"We will bring freedom walkers to Arizona just like freedom riders went to the deep south 50 years ago. We cannot sit by and allow people to be arbitrarily and unilaterally picked off as suspects because of the color of their skin," said Sharpton.
"This is harassment against our community, this is harassment in the country," said Lillian Rodriguez Lopez of the Hispanic Federation.
Sharpton's rally follows similar protests held in Queens and across the country over the weekend.
Protestors say they fear other states may impose similar legislation.